Improvement in steam-boiler feeders



T[ W. MATHER; Steam-Boiler Feeder.

Petented Jen. 1,1878.

[ PETERSA RHOTOJJTNOGRAPHEK, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES- PATE T oEEIcE.

TEoMASw. MATHER, OF NEW HAVEN, ooNN oTIcUT, sSIe oE, BY ESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO AUToMATIo BOILER AND ENGINE COMPANY, oE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-BOILER FEEDER'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 198,850, dated January1, 1878; application filed November 22, 1877.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, TnoMAs W. MATHER, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a ers generally; theobject of the invention being to maintain in the boiler a constantpredetermined water-level; and the invention consists in the combinationand arrangement of pumping devices, as hereinafter described, and moreparticularly recitedin the claims.

A is a common force or plunger pump, to the plunger B of which power isapplied by an eccentric, O, or otherwise. As here represented, the saideccentric is arranged upon a driving-shaft, D, to which power is appliedto maintain the constant revolution. E is the inlet-valve, and F theoutlet-valve, for the said pump, water being supplied to the inletvalvefrom the reservoir. G is a second pump-cylinder, in which the plunger His worked by an eccentric, I, on the shaft D, or otherwise, it onlybeing essential that the plungers of the respective pumps shall workrelatively to each other, as more particularly hereinafter described. Lis a pipe leading from the waterlevel of the boiler to the inlet- 7valve M, so that, as the plunger H rises, it

will draw from the boiler through the valve M, and on its descent willdischarge whatever it may draw from the boiler through the outlet-valveNinto a chamber, P, the said chamber here represented as a coil of pipe,the other end of the pipe returning to the pump above the discharge, andas at a.

Transversely through the plunger is an opening or'port, b, which, atcertain times in the movement of the plunger, opens to the inlet-passagea, and alsoto the corresponding outlet-passage d. From thisoutlet-passage a pipe, R, leads to the boiler, in the usual manner, forthe water-supply pipe-that is, preferably, at its lowest point. t

From the pump A and through the outletvalve F a pipe, S, leads and opensinto the chamber P, and in this pipe S, or between the valve F of thepump A and the chamber P, a pressure-regulated valve, T, is arranged.(Here represented as a spring-valve, and shown in Section in Fig. 2.)The pressure of this valve is somewhat greater than the boiler-pressure,the object of which will be hereinafter explained. V I V V The operationof i this apparatus is as follows: Supposing the plunger H to be down,as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1, asit rises to its highest point,as indicated in Fig. 3, it draws from the water level of 'the boilerthrough the valve M into the pump; and supposing that the waterin theboiler-be slightly below that level, then the plunger 1-1 will drawsteam only; descending, it will force that steam through the valve Minto the chamber P.

When the plunger Hhas risen so as to close the passage 1) through it, asin Fig. 1, having previously discharged the contents below it into thechamber P, the plunger B of the other pump begins to descend, and thepump having been filled with water from the reservoir, that water willbe forced through the valve F,

thence into thechamber P, compressing and taking the place of the steamtherein until the plunger H of the other pump has descended so far as toopen the port I) through it then the contents of the chamber P, beingunder a pressure greater than that of the boiler, that extra pressurewill force water from the chamber P, through the port I) and pipe B, tothe boiler, until the pressure in the chamber P falls to the pressure ofthe boiler, and so continuing, each rise of the plunger H drawing steamfrom the boiler, and on its descent open ing the port 12 for thedischarge of water to the boiler, and until the required level isattained. I

Again, supposing the water in the boiler to be above the level, theplunger H will then draw water from the boiler instead of steam, asbefore, and force the water into the chamber P. The plunger B, alsoworking, will discharge the water, as before, into the pipe S andchamber P; but as that is now full of the water drawn from the boiler,the force of the plungers produces upon the water between the two pumpsincreased pressure, and so as to overcome the pressure on the valve T,and, opening that, the water in the chamber P will there escape to wasteor return to the reservoir until the pressure in the chamber P isreduced to the pressure on the valve T, or until the port'b is opened.Then the water in the chamber P will flow to the boiler through the openport until the pressure in the chamber is reduced to that of the boiler;but the amount thus flowing into the boiler will be less than that drawnout, because the draft is the full stroke of the plunger, and the portI) does not openuntil after the plunger of the pump Gr has descended aconsiderable portion of its stroke. 7 7

Again, suppose the level of the water to be such that the pump G will bebut partially filled, then steam will follow, resulting in a charge ofboth steam and water, which will together he forced into the chamber P,and the steam compressed by the force from the other pump, the surplusescaping through the valve T, and a small portion flowing to the boiler,as before. Thus the pumps continue, the one, A, to force a regular andconstant quantity of water toward the chamber P; the other to draw fromthe boiler steam or Water, or both, as the case may be, and accordinglydischarge the surplus water or admitting additional water into theboiler. By this operation a substan tially constant water-level will bemaintained in the boiler.

The pump-valves are here represented asthe common puppet-valves but inpractice it is preferable to operate the valves mechanically, in orderto prevent any foreign substance interfering with the proper closing ofthe valves.

The pumps are shown in illustration as en- 'tirely separate, the onefrom the other; but

they may be combined or directly united, it only being essential thatthe plunger of one shall operate relative to the plunger of the other,substantially as described. This feed,

as before stated, is specially adapted to steamgenerators containing buta small quantity of water, and generating rapidly, and in which it hasheretofore been very difficult under high pressure to maintain aconstant water-level, and withoutwhich such small generators areimpracticable.

While it is preferable to construct the plunger H so as to form thevalve or port I), through which the water passes from the chamber to theboiler, it will be readily seen that this may be a valve independent ofthe plunger, and operated by independent mechanism, it only beingessential that the valve or port shall open at substantially therelative time described.

It is therefore not intended to limit this application to the particularconstruction of the parts as shown in the accompanying drawings.

I claim- The combination of a pump operating to draw from thewater-supply, a second pump operating to draw directly from thewaterlevel of the boiler, and a chamber into which both the first andsecond pumps may discharge, with a valve opening from the said chamberto the boiler, and a waste-valve, and operating substantially asdescribed. I

THOMAS W. lVlATHER.

Witnesses: I

W. J. MILLS, J OHN E. EARLE.

